Lawler was gigantic in and around Memphis. Not really a good mat wrestler, but his style was perfect for a Tenn. kid; and his promotion was brilliant. He and Jerry Jarret switched booking duties every six months, so Lawler was responsible for a lot of the great matches and angles (like his feud with Terry Funk). And, yes, before Vince tried to get mainstream, Lawler beat him to it with one of TV's biggest stars at the moment.
as i remember lawler mainly wrestled with a brawler style, but as you say this was perfect for the audience as Lawler played the common man against the world bit to the hilt. he was much more realistic than Dusty Rhodes in that regard.
i saw Lawler wrestle for the USWA and he was a good mat wrestler, i think the brawler style was just gold as a draw...
